True Love?
by Tekitwa Dreamer
Summary: An unfair trade to some, Mai is willing to accept pain for love.
1. Default Chapter

Bad summary. Bad title. Will probably change them later when I can think of something better. 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Bite me. Wish I did, though.

Oh, review.

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Ring!

Kujaku Mai paused, one foot in the shower. Shaking her head, her blonde tresses swaying delicately, she ignored the phone's resolute ringing, and stepped into the shower. Sighing, Mai opened the hot water tap completely, the resulting heat fogging up the mirrors, turning the large bathroom into a steam room.

Humming softly to herself, Mai swayed, lost in her own world. Picking through an assortment of bottles on the shower ledge, she picked up a bottle of strawberry-scented shampoo. The liquid ran smoothly out of the bottle into her hand. Her fingers gliding smoothly through her hair, Mai shampooed her hair, following up with the shampoo's matching conditioner. The scent of the body wash that she chose differed slightly from that of her hair care products. It smelled of kiwi fruit, as did the soaps that she used.

The phone rang just as Mai, looking Kami's personal version of Venus, finished with her washing, stepped daintily out of the shower, a lilac towel wrapped around her glistening frame. Her hair hung soaked and dripping across her shoulders as she stalked down the plush-carpeted hallway of her apartment, leaving wet footprints behind her.

"Of all the simple-minded…" she muttered to herself, thoroughly annoyed. "All I wanted was a night to myself…Moshi-moshi!" she snapped into the telephone receiver.

"Kujaku Mai?" a vaguely familiar male voice asked, not at all perturbed by her snappish attitude. At the woman's firm "Hai" of assent, the man continued. "Be at the Daquirai Gardens in two hours." He spoke with the strong assurance of a man used to being obeyed.

"Who are you?" Mai snapped, thoroughly pissed off.

"Seven o'clock, Kujaku-san. Remember that." Click.

Slamming down the receiver, Mai grumbled incoherently to herself. "Well, send me to Hell in a fucking hand basket." After a moment of indecision, she decided that she might as well go to the Gardens. She wanted to find out who had the brass nerve to phone her on her night off.

Groaning, wanting to stay home, the slim violet-eyed blonde walked into her bedroom. With a heartfelt sigh, she flopped facedown onto her queen-sized bed, her towel falling away as she did so. Rolling onto her back, Mai stared up at her silver-tinged ceiling before sliding out of bed. With a soft "oomph" she landed gracelessly on the floor. She picked herself up off of the floor.

Two long, fluid strides bought her to her overflowing closet. After short deliberation, she pulled out a short black leather miniskirt, a low-cut violet silk top, the colour of which brought out matching shades in her eyes, and her favourite pair of thigh-high stiletto boots. Drying her hair, she curled the locks carefully, leaving a few face-framing strands out of the style. A lacy purple bra and matching panties, a delicate gold chain, and a touch of black mascara and eyeliner later, she stood poised in front of a large, full-length mirror, scrutinizing her appearance carefully. Finding nothing wrong, she strode gracefully out of her bedroom, and into the living room.

Her living room was tastefully decorated. An alter, dedicated to her grandfather, stood in the

northernmost corner of the room. Numerous mirrors caught the fading light streaming in through the patio window, sending it bouncing through the small apartment. A glass coffee table stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by small cushions. She had retained some of the tradition of the Japanese. A few pictures hung on the walls, namely of pleasant scenarios of trees, and mountains. In one corner stood her highly expensive stereo system and CD collection. A small picture of her and Seto was placed carefully out of sight near one of the speakers. It had been taken two months previously, just before the couple had broken up, during one of their happy periods. Looking at the picture, Mai felt some of the rage and injustice that she had felt when she had found out that he had cheated on her.

Striding over to the stereo, she chose a couple of CDs to take with her, and, checking the time on the clock on the wall, found that she had a scant forty-five minutes to get to the Gardens. Hurrying to the front door, she picked up her handbag from the small entry table, unplugged her Motorola cellular phone, and grabbed her car keys off of the hook from which they usually hung. Standing in the apartment building's second-storey hallway, her key poised to lock the door, Mai suddenly threw the door open again, and went into her bedroom, emerging with her duel disk and deck. _Might as well be prepared_, she thought.

Her duel disk secured to her arm, she finally left her apartment, locked the door, rushed down the hallway, raced down the stairs and burst out into the fading sunlight. Unlocking the driver's side door of her candy apple red convertible, Mai slid into the soft leather seat. The setting sun's rays glistened off of the cars heavily polished hood. Wrenching the glove compartment open, Mai pulled out a pair of purple-tinged sunglasses, and put them on, effectively eliminating some of the glare. Sticking the ignition key into the ignition, the tall Duelist turned her baby's engine over, and roared out of the parking lot.

Turning dangerously onto the main road, she sped recklessly through her quiet neighbourhood in the ever-darkening gloom. Popping a CD into the drive, she pressed the play button with one long finger, her concentration to the road unwavering. Lyrics and music flooded the convertible's interior, drowning out all other sound. Mai pushed another button, and the roof of her car receded. Gusts of cool spring wind tugged at the woman's hair as she continued to race down the highway.

The calm beauty of the suburbs was quickly left behind as the loud imposing buildings of downtown Domino arrived. Running a red light, Mai squealed to a stop beneath a large sign: _Daquirai Gardens. _Turning her car off, she hopped out of her car, landing with all of the grace of a cougar. Picking up her handbag, the young lady strode purposefully towards the entranceway, and practically flew into the building. At the second set of doors, which she would usually find locked at this time of night, there was a man in a tuxedo, who opened the door for her with a bow. She smiled at him, and walked through. A gasp escaped her lips.

An unwavering line of red rose petals greeted Mai just inside of the Gardens. Their scent was untainted, blending harmoniously with that of the other plants in the building. Her curiosity piqued, Mai followed the delicate trail, the heels of her boots clicking against the rocky walk, effectively breaking the silence. As she walked, Mai thought back, to the first time that she had been here in the Daquirai Gardens.

Seto took her hand, leading her gently down the paths, remarking, "These flowers, beautiful though they are, hold nothing on you, Mai." She looked at the taller, and younger, man. She had become used to his volatile mood swings. Before, just months ago, she would have been angry with him, for those quick changes. And for the beatings associated with them. She leaned up against him, sighing, content with everything. Even with the bruises that only now were starting to turn purple underneath her blouse.

Caught up in her reminiscing, Mai was quickly jolted back to reality by the soft strains of a romantic song. Unable to interperate the English lyrics, she stood, lost in the music, swaying ever-so-slightly in time to the rythym.

A movement nearby, a soft, masculine voice. The voice from the phone. "Mai?" Turning slowly, numbed by the music, Mai looked up into cool blue eyes. "Mai? Are you okay?" He grasped her hands in his, hers dwarfed in his. Dark hair, blue eyes, clear complexion. Confident. She gasped.

"Seto!" She felt her heart flutter, flutter as it hadn't for weeks. Butterflies twitched their delicate wings violently inside of her stomach. Eyes gleaming, lovestruck, she threw herself at the younger man, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss.


	2. Unexpected Question

Dislcaimer: Still don't own anything. Not even my mind.

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Seto's lithe body bent slightly, willingly, obeying the subtle commands of Mai's body. His lips pressed tightly against hers, mirroring the lust that she felt, with all of the fervour of a dying man. Parting, panting and gasping for air, the well-matched couple clung to each other, each the other's anchor in the storm of love.

Slowly detaching himself from the clutches of the woman in front of him, Seto allowed his eyes to roam. He took in every inch of her, from her long blonde hair, to her violet eyes, and the VERY low cut shirt and short skirt that she wore. _She really leaves nothing to the imagination, does she?_ Seto asked himself. Not that it bothered him in the slightest. Catching her eye, and undoubtedly snapping her out of some reverie or another, Seto grinned down the few scant inches at Mai, and led her along the last few metres of rose-petal-strewn walkway.

Rounding a sharp bend in the path, Seto's hand grasped tightly in her own, Mai gasped. She had just stepped into a small candlelit clearing. Blood-red rose bushes surrounded the area, tiny strawberry plants intermingling with the larger plants, their colours harmonious in the flickering light. A small glass-topped garden table stood in the centre of the patch, its matching chairs tucked in beside it, set for two. It all looked like that of which fairytales told.

"Oh, Seto!" She turned to the man beside her, astonishment clearly written upon her face, twinkling in her eyes. "You...did this?"

Mai finally caught a proper look at her lover, taking in his appearance as she thought about his virtues. _He's just, wow!_ Even in her mind, Mai could not find the words to accurately describe the man standing so close in front of her. Immaculately dressed, he wore a white dressed shirt, and a black blazer, unbuttoned, with matching slacks, all of which were undoubtedly custom-made to fit his tall, slim figure. His brown hair was carefully combed, and his blue eyes glittered with amusement, passion...and something else, something that Mai could not place.

"Yes, Mai," Seto replied, his voice seductive and soft. "I did." Guiding his girlfriend to a chair, which he pulled away from the table, he waited until she was seated before sitting himself down. With a sharp, short whistle from Seto, a short serving-man in a penguin tuxedo bustled busily into the clearing, his expression unreadable as he replaced the two empty plates in front of the couple with two plates of steaming pasta. Another server, a tall female this time, dressed in the same style of outfit as her male counterpart, strode in, deftly uncorked a bottle of well-ages red wine, filling the diners' glasses.

With a nod, Seto dismissed the two servers, who strode calmly, if not a little quickly, out of the clearing, leaving him and Mai alone to enjoy their dinner. Lifting his glass carefully, Seto indicated that Mai do the same, and took a sip of the powerful beverage. Reaching for her glass, she realized that she still wore her Duel Disk, and, with a muttered apology, removed it. As she followed suit, her Disk placed gently on the floor at her fee, she glanced at him, still unsure about the look that she had seen in his eyes.

They settled into the business of eating. Both were well-versed in the art of fine dining, her from a lifetime of etiquette classes, him from being the adopted son of one of the world's biggest corporate businessmen. They talked of small things as they ate, no heated, passionate discussions such as those that they usually had. The serving people reappeared occasionally, to top up their wine glasses, or, in Mai's case, her water glass. She didn't want to be completely hammered by the end of the night. In her mind, that was only for clubbing.

Halfway through dessert, a decadent chocolate cheesecake, Seto stood up, and, extending a hand to Mai, invited her to join him. Clasping his hand, she got to her feet, and walked with him. He led her along a path that Mai had not previously noticed, unspeaking. Troubled slightly by his silence, Mai followed, her euphoria at being with him tainted with worry, and fear. She still remembered the last time that he had acted this ay, and it hadn't turned out well for her.

_"Seto, what's wrong?" Reaching out, she touched his shoulder gently, lovingly, feeling the muscles tense beneath the thin cotton of his shirt._

_"Don't touch me!" He practically shouted at her, his face, when he turned towards her, clouded with hate and rage. "Don't EVER touch me!" He extended his arm, and, grabbing Mai's arm with one hand, hard enough to bruise, slapped her across the face._

_When his rage subsided, Mai was on the floor, crying quietly. His face soft, he picked her up gently, getting her back on her feet. When she was standing stably, he left, not uttering a word, of apology or otherwise._

Even in her worry, she continued to stand by him, walking slowly, not paying attention to the beauty around her. Lost in her own world, she didn't notice that Seto had stopped until she felt a small tug at her hand, which still held tight to his. She looked at him, and waited.

Retrieving a small case out of his pocket, Seto lowered himself to one knee, grasping Mai's left hand in his right. With a deft flick of his thumb, he opened the box, revealing to himself a very small, glittery something lying upon a soft bed of black velvet. He carefully lifted it out of the safety of the container, holding it delicately.

"Mai, will you marry me?" Without waiting for her answer, Seto slid his burden onto Mai's hand. The gold band fit her finger perfectly. A small, tasteful diamond shone in the light, embedded in the gold. The gold itself was engraved with the words "Aisheteru Itsumademo," in Seto's own elegant, flowing script. He had spared on expense on the ring, and it showed in its flawlessness.

No shadow of doubt flickered across Mai's face as she sunk to her knees and whispered in Seto's ear, "Hai. I will, my love." She leaned in to kiss him, cupping his face daintily with her hands, plain, except for the gold-and-diamond ring adorning the ring finger on her left hand.

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Ick. Review.  



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